Plastic Strapping Guide: How to Choose the Right Plastic Strapping for Your Application

Choosing the right plastic strapping can improve load stability, reduce shipping damage, and lower packaging costs. Whether you're securing cartons, palletized shipments, lumber, building materials, or industrial products, selecting the proper strapping material and application method is just as important as choosing the right width or break strength.

This guide explains the differences between polypropylene and polyester strapping, when to use hand-grade or machine-grade products, how much strap strength you need, and common industry terminology to help you make an informed decision.

Types of Plastic Strapping

The two most common plastic strapping materials are polypropylene and polyester. While they may appear similar, they perform very differently depending on the application.

Polypropylene Strapping

Polypropylene (PP) strapping is the most economical choice for light to medium-duty applications. It is commonly used for:

Carton closing
Bundling products
Palletizing lightweight loads
Warehouse packaging
General shipping

Polypropylene is easy to tension manually and works well with hand tools, battery-powered tools, semi-automatic machines, and fully automatic strapping machines. It is an excellent choice when loads are relatively stable and do not require extremely high retained tension.

Polyester Strapping

Polyester (PET) strapping is designed for heavier loads that may shift during shipping. It offers significantly higher retained tension than polypropylene and is often used as an alternative to steel strapping.

Typical applications include:

Lumber
Brick and concrete products
Metal products
Industrial equipment
Heavy pallet loads

Because polyester absorbs impacts and then recovers without permanently stretching, it performs exceptionally well during transportation.

Polypropylene vs. Polyester Strapping

Feature	Polypropylene	Polyester
Best For	Light to medium-duty loads	Medium to heavy-duty loads
Retained Tension	Good	Excellent
Shock Resistance	Good	Excellent
Cost	Lower	Moderate
Steel Replacement	No	Often

Choosing the Right Application Method

Plastic strapping can be applied using several different methods depending on packaging volume.

Manual Application

Manual tools are ideal for lower-volume operations and require only a modest investment in equipment. Plastic strapping is secured using buckles or seals and works well for occasional shipping or warehouse applications.

Battery-Powered Tools

Battery-operated strapping tools increase productivity by automatically tensioning and sealing the strap using friction weld technology. They eliminate the need for separate seals in many applications while improving consistency.

Pneumatic Tools

Pneumatic tools are commonly used in high-volume manufacturing environments where compressed air is available and maximum productivity is required.

Semi-Automatic Machines

Semi-automatic strapping machines are ideal for companies packaging cartons throughout the day. They increase production speed while requiring relatively little operator training.

Automatic Strapping Machines

Automatic systems are designed for high-volume production lines. These machines improve consistency, reduce labor, and provide repeatable tension on every package.

Important: Machine-grade polypropylene and polyester strapping should always be used in automatic and semi-automatic strapping machines because it is manufactured with tighter tolerances and minimal camber.

Understanding Break Strength

Break strength is the amount of force required to break the strap.

As a general guideline:

Application	Recommended Guideline
Carton Reinforcement	3:1 ratio of strap strength to package weight
Palletized Loads	Pallet Weight × 1.5 ÷ Number of Straps
Unitizing & Bundling	5:1 ratio of strap strength to package weight

These formulas provide a starting point. Actual requirements depend on transportation conditions, load stability, handling methods, and environmental conditions.

Performance Comparison

Performance	Polypropylene	Polyester	Polyester Cord	Steel
Break Strength	Good	Very Good	Very Good	Excellent
Elongation*	10–15%	10–15%	10–15%	1%
Ability to Retain Tension	Poor	Very Good	Very Good	Excellent
Elongation Recovery	Excellent	Good	Good	Poor
Split Resistance	Good	Very Good	Excellent	Poor
Recyclability	Excellent	Excellent	Good	Poor
Cost	Least Expensive	More Expensive	More Expensive	Most Expensive
Shock Resistance	Good	Very Good	Excellent	Poor

*In the working range, 40–60% of ultimate break strength.

Common Plastic Strapping Terms

Industry Term	Definition
Break Strength	The amount of force required to break the strap.
Camber	The natural curve or twist in strapping. Low camber is especially important for machine-grade strapping because excessive curvature can interfere with automatic equipment.
Creep	The gradual loss of tension after a strap has been applied.
Elongation	The amount a strap stretches while under tension.
Elongation Recovery	The strap's ability to recover after stretching.
Embossing	The textured surface found on many polypropylene straps that improves flexibility and joint efficiency.
Joint Efficiency	The percentage of the strap's strength retained after sealing.
Machine Grade	Plastic strapping manufactured with tighter dimensional tolerances for automatic equipment.
Retained Tension	The strap's ability to maintain its original tension over time.
Shock Resistance	The ability to absorb impacts without breaking.
Split Resistance	Resistance to tearing along the edge of the strap.
Thickness	The overall thickness of the strap, including any embossing pattern.

Choosing the Right Plastic Strapping

Whether you're shipping lightweight cartons or securing heavy industrial products, selecting the proper plastic strapping depends on your load weight, shipping conditions, equipment, and production volume.

Complete Packaging Products offers a complete selection of polypropylene strapping, polyester strapping, plastic strapping tools, battery-powered strapping tools, buckles, seals, and strapping machines to help you build an efficient packaging system for virtually any application.

Need help selecting the right plastic strapping? Contact Complete Packaging Products for expert recommendations, equipment matching, and bulk pricing.

Jul 1st 2026 Susan

#Plastic Strapping